1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technique for improving the operability of a contact-position detection device, such as a touch panel, mounted on an image display screen of a display unit which is used by changing the orientation of the image display screen.
2. Description of the Related Art
Some conventional display units, such as external display monitors mounted on, for example, a video camera or a still camera, are used by changing their orientations relative to a camera main unit. This enables the external display monitors to be used for various situations, for example, when the external display monitor is used as an electronic viewfinder (hereinafter referred to as an xe2x80x9cEVFxe2x80x9d) for performing a recording operation (normal recording mode), when the video camera is used as a recording/playback device to play back recorded data (video cassette recorder (VCR) mode), and when the operator is a subject and takes an image of himself/herself while standing in front of the camera and observing the external display monitor (mirror mode).
Some conventional display units are loaded with a switch mounted on an image display screen of the display units, which is transparent so as to allow an image on the display screen to show through. Such a switch is a so-called touch panel. According to this touch panel, by directly touching an operation display image as a two-dimensional image on the display screen, a predetermined signal is output. The touch panel is known art and a detailed explanation thereof, such as the operation principle, will thus be omitted. By operating the touch panel for use in, for example, a video camera, commands concerning a tape running system, such as xe2x80x9cstopxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9crewindxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cplaybackxe2x80x9d, and xe2x80x9cforwardxe2x80x9d, and commands concerning a recording mode, such as xe2x80x9cfocusxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cshutter speedxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cbacklight correctionxe2x80x9d, and xe2x80x9cwhite balancexe2x80x9d, can be performed.
However, a display unit, such as an external display monitor, loaded with the above-described touch panel thereon presents the following problem. When the orientation of the external display monitor relative to the video camera main unit is changed, the positions at which operation buttons of the touch panel are displayed are also changed, thereby lowering ease of operation.
That is, for the operator who views the display unit from the front, the vertical direction and the horizontal direction of the display unit appear to be unchanged before and after changing the orientation of the display unit. By changing the orientation of the display unit, however, the coordinate position of an operating part of the touch panel is also changed. Therefore, the position of an operating part of the touch panel is disadvantageously changed without the operator noticing such a displacement.
More specifically, it is now assumed that the mode of a video camera loaded with the above-described external display monitor is changed from the recording mode to the VCR mode (vertically and horizontally inverted). The lower left part in the recording mode when the operator views the external display monitor from the front is changed to the upper right part in the VCR mode when the operator also views the external display monitor from the front. Thus, when the operator desires to perform the same operation in the VCR mode on a predetermined operating part (operation switch) of the touch panel as that corresponding to the lower left part in the recording mode, the operator is required to touch the operating part (operation switch) disposed on the upper right part, since the external display monitor has been vertically and horizontally inverted. The ease of operation is thus seriously deteriorated. This is because the operator determines the position of the operating part (operation switch) of the touch panel relative to the position as viewed from the front even if the orientation of the external display monitor is changed.
Accordingly, in view of the above background, it is an object of the present invention to maintain the operability of a contact-position detecting device, such as a touch panel, mounted on a display unit even if the orientation of the display unit is changed.
According to the present invention, there is provided an image pick-up apparatus including a display unit which is pivotally supported by a main unit of the image pick-up apparatus with respect to a vertical axis and which is rotatably supported by the main unit of the image pick-up apparatus with respect to a horizontal axis. An orientation detecting unit detects the orientation of a display screen of the display unit with respect to the main unit of the image pick-up apparatus. A contact-position detecting unit is mounted on the display screen of the display unit so as to detect which part of the display screen is touched. A memory unit stores relationships between coordinate positions of the contact-position detecting unit and predetermined processing. A display control unit displays an image on the display unit based on a signal from the orientation detecting unit, and upon detecting by the contact-position detecting unit that a predetermined operating part is touched, the display control unit transforms the predetermined operating part into a coordinate position in the memory unit according to the signal from the orientation detecting unit, thereby performing the predetermined processing.
With this arrangement, even if the orientation of the display unit is changed, it is detected by the orientation detecting unit, and the operating part of the contact-position detecting unit is transformed into a coordinate position, and the predetermined processing corresponding to the coordinate position is operated. This enables the operator to operate the contact-position detecting unit relative to a position at which the operator views, thereby improving ease of operation.